Georgia voters told state officials in May that they support school choice in the state.

More than 75 percent of Republican primary voters indicated strong support for additional school choice options on their ballots.

The vote is nonbinding but Matt Frendewey of the American Federation for Children says it clearly gauges what the public wants.

“It received more votes than the primary for the U.S. Senate at the top of the ticket,” he says. “And this is, mind you, at the bottom of the ballot or maybe even in some places on the back of the ballot.”

In the state of North Carolina, meanwhile, state senators have passed a proposal that would increase the school choice program annually until it hits $145 million for the 2027-2028 school year. That bill is now in the hands of the House.

Frendewey

Frendewey, commenting on that legislation, calls it a “promising development” that puts parents in charge of their children’s education.

More than 8,000 North Carolina students applied for 3,000 spots this year. The additional funding would add 20,000 more students over the next decade.

Frendewey says he’s hopeful that Georgia’s elected officials noticed the overwhelming support from voters who spoke “loud and clear” about the issue.

He says polling in Georgia consistently shows that majorities of Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, black Hispanic and white voters want more school choice.